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Terry Hooper-Scharf

Saturday 1 September 2018

Paul Ashley Brown/Browner Knowle: The Adventures of Arthur Titty







Writer: Paul Ashley Brown & Simon Bailes
Art: P. A. Brown ("P. A. Brown" is Paul Ashley Brown but I didn't want to type his name again)
A4
28pp
Full colour
£5.00 = £1.20 postage
order/pay -paulashleybrown@googlemail.com


Unfortunately, my A3 scanner is on its last legs so the quality of the scans is not great.  As Mr Brown stated: "If the colours do not give you eye damage...." Well, they are bright enough.  The comic itself is printed on a quality almost light card stock and there is no way you are going to accidentally tear a page!  The colours are vibrant through-out, and I have gone through this comic a few times since last weekend and there is not the slightest fading of colour anywhere. I know how much Ole Slow Hand (don't be dirty!) paid and I almost passed out when he told me but you want quality then you pay for it.

Another thing that needs mentioning is that The Adventures of Arthur Titty is like all the Browner Knowle Books -a low print run and there is no reprinting. Printed once and that is it: that makes them very collectible.

That double cover deserves more of a look:



Not all Brown's writing either as he is joined by Simon Bailes -as with the first strip "Food". Somehow I can't help think this is just "ordinary everyday life in Bristol"!  The art style works well with the more nonsensical humour strips and from this strip in particular we learn to always run if some odd-ball tries to start talking to you about fish.

Below: There are all kinds of innocent misunderstandings, right?  This time from another Bailes story -Quiz Night.  I have to admit to a loud snort-laugh after the final panel. Quite seriously, this is something that might have appeared in a 1980s British comic (remember those?) and so much is in that one pager.  A Titty Christmas is also written by Bailes and we can only hope all of this is not based on personal experiences.  That would be worrying.



Brown does do something other than play with Crayola Crayons: he writes Sponge, Snow, Night Out, Shed and Day.  The current craze of "doing Shed" obviously inspired the genetically modified one although, when I mentioned to my sister to watch out in case any of the neighbours are "doing Shed" she asked me "What the **** in **** hell are you ***** talking about?"

Below: to any people out there seeing this: please DO NOT "Do Shed"!!

I do believe that "Sponge" lives just up the road from me. When he starts shouting in the Bedminster shopping area no one pays the slightest attention.  As for Night Out...I see this a lot.  In fact, The Adventures of Arthur Titty could almost be seen as "social commentary" -but very funny social commentary!

If you have seen Browner Knowle then you have seen Brown's more serious and (be honest) at times depressing stories.  All drawn in a far more serious style and unless you have seen him selling his wares (his zines not his body) at events then you will probably not have seen the more humorous work but there is a selection of work here:

https://www.paulashleybrown.co.uk/store

And look at his Sum Yo-Yo covers:https://www.paulashleybrown.co.uk/sum-yo-yo-stuff-buks


There are three creators whose work I look forward to: Richard Pester, Tommy Ross and P. A. Brown because all produce unique looking work in quality books and short print runs. The Adventures of Arthur Titty is very funny in both story and art and there is no way I am not going to recommend this.  In fact, I'm buying two extra copies so yah-Boo-Sucks! to those who are too slow!

I wonder whether there will be a 2019 Arthur Titty Christmas Annual this year? 

Below: let's see if a digi photo will show the colour better.


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